Tailor-Made Tours

Have you ever had special needs in visiting a country? Have you ever wanted to connect to special people, projects, organisations or companies while abroad? Have you ever felt that the most meaningful moments of your touristic immersions were the moments when you shared personal experiences with local people?

Phaphama Initiatives’ TALK Tourism has 19 years of community development experience in South Africa. As such we are able to connect you with any target group or initiative that you may wish to visit or find out more about. Especially in and around Soweto and Johannesburg we have a long tradition of connecting foreign visitors to local parties.

Examples of specialized interests that we have linked up with are:

African choral music

HIV/AIDS and home-based care

Modern Western medicine versus the art and science of traditional healing

Small business development and entrepreneurship

Initiatives for the physically and mentally challenged

Gay and lesbian initiatives

African art & culture

Schools (all levels)

African traditional religions

Youth initiatives (youth clubs, sports)

Waste recycling initiatives

The shebeen scene

Phaphama will scout the people and organisations you would like to meet, accompany you in these encounters and facilitate your meeting, to ensure as meaningful and rich an interaction as possible.

Review of TALK Tourism Immersion Visit by a student at Delaware University, USA

“This was an unbelievable experience. One that truly shows what life in South Africa for the average person is like. The son of the family I stayed with showed me a night life in Soweto that I could not have experienced on my own. Everyone was so friendly that I never felt so comfortable being the only white person. There was no difference in colour – we were all the same”.

Review of TALK Tours in the Lonely Planet Guide to South Africa

"TALK arranges 'immersion visits' where you spend time living in a community while learning the language (or just experiencing the culture - it's up to you). This can be anything from a weekend in Soweto to a month or longer in KwaZulu-Natal. TALK can organise just about anything for small groups, including meals with African families and visits to townships, with the emphasis on people-to-people contact.
VISITING SOWETO : If you're interested in something along the lines of cultural immersion rather than sightseeing contact the TALK project for details of its Soweto homestay and tour programs."

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Review of TALK Tourism by a recent visitor

"The people from Phaphama were just amazing. They basically bent over backwards for me. I have an interest in choral music : they organized an evening at a choir practice for me. I talked about visiting a school : they made it possible for me to spend a day in an elementary school. I mentioned wanting to see the Apartheid Museum and Constitution Hill in Johannesburg : they found a way to get me there. At the end of my stay, I had to go and meet my tour group at the other end of town and was unsure how to get there: they did much more than help me find my way, they actually took me there!
I have had the opportunity to experience homestays in several other countries, organized by different organisms, but this one beats them all! My 3 days in Soweto were the highlight of my trip. I feel that I have had a glimpse into "real" South African life. If I could, I would do it all over again, and if I ever go back, it will be for an extended rural homestay organized through Phaphama."